Don't Deny Me The Sun
by CharlieCaller
Summary: Early one morning, Leonardo contemplates his existance.


Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured in this story, they belong to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and related companies. I am not making a profit from using them in this story.

Note: This will be the last story for a while, since I'm setting off for university in a couple of days and it might take some time to get set up and stuff. Anyway, I hope you like it.

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Don't Deny Me The Sun

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He sat still on the rooftop, the ties of his blue headband fluttering in the chilly early-morning breeze. In the fading moonlight, he was a mere dot in the silhouette of the New York skyline, but on closer inspection, there was more to the shadow than first appeared.

The figure sat crouched, deep in thought as he stared at the cars rolling under the streetlamps far below him, like ants crawling along the road. He sometimes found himself sitting somewhere in a world consisting of his own thoughts, whether it be high on the roofs of the city or deep down in the sewers beneath the streets, where his lair remained well-hidden from the topside world. He couldn't sleep that night, so he had ventured to surface-level, just to sit and think. Lately, he was becoming increasingly contemplative. More and more he had been thinking about his life and all that it consisted of, and he had begun to question it. He had no choice in what he was; he was a mutant turtle and as far as he knew, nothing could change that. But sometimes, he liked to dream.

He often wondered what he would be doing if he were human. In the Army, maybe? A teacher of sports or martial arts, perhaps? If he were indeed human, at that point in his life he would be preparing for a career of some sort, on a path towards a profession. He would probably be living in some high-rise apartment block, not in the sewers, and right at that moment he would be at home, asleep in a warm, comfortable bed. The last place he would be was sitting on the roof of a building in downtown New York. During the day he would attend high-school, studying for his future. He would most certainly not be prowling the city for the Shredder or the Foot clan.

Of course, he did not overly dislike who he was or what he was doing, not by any means. He performed the martial arts he loved, fighting with honour to defeat his foe. He dearly loved and cherished his family and friends; his brothers, Master Splinter, and April and Casey. But still, he liked to dream. He dreamed of what could have been, had circumstances been different. If not for the accident that marked out his path in life, he could easily be living in a small tank, as a pet turtle belonging to some kid. At least this way, he had a taste of human life. But, it was only a taste of it. He wanted more.

He longed to leave behind his life of walking the streets in long coats and concealing hats and dark glasses, keeping him hidden from those who would never understand. He had some understanding of what it felt like to be a superstar celebrity trying to lead a normal life and going out in the streets in baseball caps and shades. There were differences though, but two were most significant. One difference was that celebrities had chosen their way of life, but he did not have any option in his. The other was that celebrities hid away from people who wanted to see them. Leonardo and his brothers hid because they knew that humans did not want to see them, or even know they existed. They were freaks, outcasts, banished to an existence of secrecy beneath the city. He wanted to get out of his life of hiding in the sewers by day and the shadows of the night, escaping judging eyes like some lab rat hiding in the dark corners of his cage, yearning for the freedom of a normal life but trapped where he was. No way out.

He felt that he and his brothers could achieve so much more if he was a human, and accepted in the human race. When he dreamed of living life as a human, he often envisioned the paths that he and his brothers would have gone down, had they been humans, or at least able to dwell with the humans. He sometimes dreamed of setting up his own dojo, and training those willing to learn martial arts. His genius brother Donatello could easily be a millionaire by the time he was twenty, with all the inventions he kept coming up with. Raphael might end up opening a gym to keep kids off the street, and channel their aggression within sport or martial arts, the way he was learning to do. Michelangelo, probably the only brother that really lived up to his name as an artist, would fill galleries across the world with his sketches and paintings. And yet, each of the talents and gifts that had been given to the turtles were going to waste down in the sewers. _All because they don't understand,_ Leonardo thought to himself bitterly. He felt like he was a secret prisoner in his own life. He had a taste of the world he was missing, possessing some qualities that only humans possess, but his appearance meant that they were virtually worthless. He had a mind that humans would accept, but not an exterior. His exterior made humans scream and squirm at the sight of him. _They just don't understand..._

Leonardo caught himself lost in thought and realised that sunrise was drawing close and that he should be making his way back to the lair before the shadows faded and he was spotted. He was about to get up, when he stopped himself. "_No,_" he thought to himself. "_The Gods have denied me almost every pleasure of human life. Why should they deny me the sun, as well?_" With that, he settled back down on the step and watched the breath-taking sight before him as the sun crept over the horizon, glittering radiantly over the city. The sun's rays beat down on him, warming his skin. He squinted and held a hand up to shadow his eyes, gazing at the sun as it turned from a deep orange-yellow to a bright white as it rose in the pale blue sky.

Ten minutes later, with all the stealth and prowess of a well-trained ninja, he located the nearest manhole and disappeared down it, heading for home with the shadow of a smile on his face.

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The End

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End file.
